I think a huge part of the fear factor for me was the worry about being judged... especially if I failed, or backslid or what have you. Which, while I do NOT admit failure, since I'm still going at it, I certainly have backslid more than once and for lengthy periods! So my progress looks rather dismal at the moment, unless you consider that I have kept off the first 20 pounds I lost over four years.
However, for me, I think telling the world/friends/family by starting a blog helped. It keeps me accountable, even though there have been times I've not posted on the blog for a long time. Still, having that public statement of my journey out there always brings me back after a backslide. So I'm not sorry I did it.
But everyone is different, and one doesn't have to say what one is doing in order to accomplish it.
One thing to consider though, by not being public about it with friends/family/co-workers, you do cut off a possible avenue of support. Conversely, if friends/family/co-workers might be inclined to sabotage or NOT be supportive, it might be better to stay private. I think it all depends on the individual's personal situation.
You tell us! You are the only person that can figuire this out. Perhaps some reasons "could" be that you fear letting others down if you dont succeed, perhaps it's your way of commiting 'fully' not just through eat/exercise but through positive, whole minded effort emotionally/spiritually.
Those are the two most obvious, perhaps its even more subtle like you want people to bring this to your attention instead of asking for the attention? Again dig deep and answer this for yourself! Good Job so Far, keep it going!
In an amusing turn of events, I discovered last night that my efforts to hide my Netflix queue actually ended up breaking my ability to watch Netflix on the guy's iPad, so. Oops! But upon arriving at his house yesterday, he also commented "for some reason you look slimmer"... so. YAY! for getting the first recognition from anyone else that I am looking different/better.
Plus now I will feel less paranoid about trying out some of the workout videos on Netflix, although I have been sufficiently punished for being overly silly as now we have to figure out how to reset things so we can watch stuff on his iPad again... Bah, technology is so irritating sometimes!
That sounds so much like something I would do! I get myself psyched out about all kinds of things, and when I was trying to lose weight I would definitely try to hide certain things....
I think my biggest fear was that people would laugh at me-- like Trazey said, I thought people looked at fat people exercising and thought "wow look at that poor fat lady exercising...." But I think my biggest fear was that if I seemed to be trying to lose weight it would crack the big ole veneer that I had that said, "Oh I'm one of those happy fat ladies. I don't mind being fat at all. I never try to lose weight..."
This time, when I finally lost all the weight, I did start telling people right away. I used to go into work and do a little twirly dance and say "don't I look skinny? I've lost ten, (or twenty, or thirty...) pounds...
For some reason, FOR ME, it was important. I guess I had to finally admit that I was trying to lose weight, that I wanted to lose weight...
On the other hand, I don't think it's wrong to keep it private, and there are some very good reasons not to talk about it much.
People won't notice much in the beginning, and then they WILL notice and you'll start to feel like a minor celebrity.
Psychology is a soft science. And without getting onto my soapbox I will just say that you are doing what matters and that is changing your hard facts or in other words, you are changing your Biology.
I dont tell people in my life about this thing I am doing. I understand that they will notice eventually (and when they do it will be awesome.) I have done this before and I already know that the mini-goal wow factor is isolated to my own mind. I am a social creature, however, and did recognize at the beginning of December that if I was going to succeed I would need to interact with other women who understood what was happening to me. So I came here.
